The present invention relates to an improved gelled confection, more specifically, relates to an improved gelled confection using bulking sweetener agents and doctoring agents that give acceptable texture, stability, clarity, and flavor delivery, while being less cariogenic then traditional corn syrup and sucrose gelled confections, and while not causing gastrointestinal disturbances.
Consumers like gelled confections. Gelled confections are sometimes called gummies, jellies, or gum drops. Gelled confections can be transparent, translucent, or opaque, with transparent being preferred by consumers. Gelled confections are often chewed as they have a firm, elastic texture that appeals to consumers. As gelled confections are chewed, they break apart into smaller pieces, which then dissolve in the mouth. These smaller confection pieces dissolve slowly in the mouth and deliver flavor and sweetness as they dissolve into a pleasant syrup during chewing.
Gelled confection is a food product that is formed by a) creating a saturated solution containing water, bulking sweetener agent, and doctoring agent; 2) creating a hydrated suspension containing water and gelling agent; 3) combining the saturated solution with the hydrated suspension; 4) removing water from the combination by cooking (i.e., heating); 5) cooling the confection mass; and 6) finishing the confection mass by removing additional water and forming the confection mass into individual pieces. The finishing step also contains tempering the gelled confection to room temperature.
Gelled confections may contain, but are not limited to, gelling agents, bulking sweetener agent, doctoring agent, flavors, actives, colors, sensates, and high intensity sweeteners.
Gelled confection products contain at least one gelling agent. The gelling agent includes, but is not limited to, gelatin, pectin, starch, dextrins, hydrocolloids, milk based proteins, and combinations thereof. The gelling agent creates a gel matrix throughout the confection through its loosely connected strands. The amount and length of the gelling agent strands, and the connections between the strands, creates a flexible, elastic matrix with water filling the spaces between and around the strands. The other ingredients in the confection may also be positioned between and around the strands. The elastic texture of the confection dictates the chewing texture and how long the confection mass remains in one piece during chewing. By elastic texture it is meant that the confection has some give and stretch before breaking when pressure is applied by teeth during chewing.
Gelling agents are humectants and are water soluble, so the elastic texture of the finished gelled confection is affected by the water content of the confection. Moisture puts distance between the strands, which limits contact between strands and allows movement of the strands. Higher amounts of water may create a softer, less elastic confection texture because of the greater distance between the gelling agent strands and fewer contact points. If the confection's moisture level is low, the confection may be hard because of too many contacts between strands and because of too little room between strands to allow movement without breaking during chewing.
Because the gelling agents are humectants, they may control a certain amount of the water in a gelled confection. If the gelling agent in a gelled confection controls the water in the confection, the water will not migrate (i.e., move) to the confection surface and make a sticky product surface. During storage, water may become “free” (i.e., excess) during storage when the gelling agent strands contract and “squeeze” water out of the gelling agent matrix. During storage, the gelling agent may pick up water from the environment. If enough moisture is absorbed during storage, a freshly produced firm gelled confection may deform and flow over time (i.e., cold flow), that is the confection piece may flatten and spread due to the matrix weakening as connections are lost between strands due to excess water in the matrix. On the other hand, if during storage a gelled confection loses moisture to the environment, such as by evaporation, the originally flexible elastic gelled confection may become firm and tough as the strands are brought into closer contact with each other.
To be commercially acceptable, the gelled confection needs to have a non-sticky surface and stable shape, both right after processing and after storage at a reasonable temperature and relative humidity. That is, the gelled confection of this invention may be at least as stable to temperature and relative humidity as traditional confections made with corn syrup and sucrose at a 55:45 wt. % solids ratio.
Ingredients in the confection mass, other than gelling agent, can also affect the texture of a gelled confection. For example, gelled confections contain at least one bulking sweetener agent and at least one doctoring agent. Both bulking sweetener agents and doctoring agents supply volume and weight to gelled confections. Bulking sweetener agents also supply the primary dissolvable mass in the confection, which creates a syrup-like solution in the mouth during chewing. Doctoring agents may also supply a dissolvable mass, which also creates a syrup-like solution in the mouth. This syrup-like solution is what carries any additional water soluble ingredients, such as flavors and sensates, to the tongue. Both the bulking sweetener agents and doctoring agents must be chosen such that they will not mask the perception of flavors and sensates.
The gelled confection may contain some bulking sweetener agent in crystalline form. The amount in crystalline form may be limited in gelled confections, as the crystals may interfere with confection elastic texture, may create a grainy mouthfeel, and may negatively affect clarity. Bulking sweetener agent in crystalline form also affects the solubility of the full gelled confection, which may also affect the delivery of flavors and sensates to the mouth.
Typically, the bulking sweetener agent is combined with water and the doctoring agent to create a saturated solution, which is then mixed with a suspension of gelling agent in water. After the combination is cooked (i.e., heated), the agent sets up a matrix throughout the confection as the confection mass cools. Final confection mass moisture level may be further reduced to create less distance between gelling agent strands, while maintaining enough moisture to allow flexibility of the matrix. Methods for further reducing moisture include, but are not limited to, baking, extruding, starch molding, and combinations thereof. Baking is a process wherein the confection mass is poured into molds, which are then held in a heated chamber until the desired amount of water has evaporated. The pieces are then removed from the molds. Extruding is a process wherein the confection mass is poured into or made in an apparatus (i.e., extruder) which can then pull water from the confection mass through heat application and evaporation. The extruded candy mass is then cut into pieces when it leaves the extruder. Starch molding is a process wherein the confection mass is poured into shapes pressed into a cake of starch. The starch pulls water from the confection mass during storage under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. When the confections are at the appropriate moisture content, they are removed from the starch cake.
As discussed above, the moisture in the confection mass is reduced during processing. Under certain low moisture conditions, the bulking sweetener agent may crystallize in the finished confection, creating defects in texture, clarity, and dissolving rate. One role of a doctoring agent is to interfere with the bulking sweetener agent's tendency to form crystals as the moisture level in the confection mass decreases, without causing different texture defects, such as softening and cold flow.
Doctoring agents influence gelled confection stability during cooking and storage by controlling the water present in the confection. The water may be present due to lack of evaporation (i.e., removal) during cooking, baking, extruding or starch molding or due to water absorption during storage. Excess water in a gelled confection that is not controlled by the gelling agent or the doctoring agent may start to dissolve the gelled confection contents. As a result of this, the gelled confection may deform and flow during storage (i.e., cold flow). The confection surface may also become sticky as uncontrolled water dissolves bulking sweetener agent on the outer surface of the confection. The gelled confection texture could change from a consumer acceptable firm, elastic texture, to a too soft and non-elastic texture.
Doctoring agents additionally influence gelled confection stability during storage by keeping moisture in the gelled confection during storage at low humidity conditions. As discussed above, reduction of moisture in a gelled confection could negatively change confection texture from elastic to inelastic, and possibly even to hard or brittle. Doctoring agents are humectants, so they attract and hold water. This means that doctoring agents can control the water left in a formula by processing. Also doctoring agents can cause confections to absorb water from the atmosphere.
A stable gelled confection exists when there is a balance between bulking sweetener agents and doctoring agents. High levels of doctoring agent may prevent the crystallization of bulking sweetener agent by interfering with bulking sweetener agent crystal formation. Too high a level of doctoring agent may cause its own defects by creating a too soft and/or sticky texture due to the doctoring agent interfering with gelling strand contacting and/or by the doctoring agent absorbing too much water from the environment. Accordingly, it is necessary to find a balance of ingredients that delivers an optimal gelled confection.
A traditional gelled confection has a balance of bulking sweetener agent and doctoring agent to obtain the optimal consumer accepted gelled confection. Sucrose is the traditional bulking sweetener agent for gelled confections, with corn syrup being the traditional doctoring agent partnered with it. Corn syrup, with its long and short carbohydrate chains, can physically interfere with sucrose crystallization and can absorb water in the gelled confection. Corn syrup at 55 wt. % solids and sucrose at 45 wt. % solids are a stable balance of doctoring agent and bulking sweetener agent that make a gelled confection with consumer acceptable texture, clarity, stability, and flavor delivery.
A current consumer concern with sucrose based gelled confections is cariogenicity. Most sugars (including sucrose, maltose, fructose, and dextrose) are cariogenic. In general, cariogenic ingredients create dental caries. Dental caries is an infectious disease that damages the structure of teeth. Non-cariogenicity or “tooth friendliness” of a substance such as a saccharide or a saccharide derivative may be determined by means of intraoral pH telemetry such as used by Tooth Friendly International, a non-profit organization. In a standard procedure, plaque pH is measured in at least four persons during and for 30 minutes after consumption of a substance to be tested with a plaque-covered electrode. Products which do not lower plaque pH below 5.7, under the test conditions, are considered to lack cariogenic potential.
Efforts have been made to improve the healthiness of gelled confections. For the most part, consumers would prefer that a gelled confection is non-cariogenic due to the dental benefits. With the goal of reducing cariogenicity, gelled confections have been made with reduced sugar content. One way of reducing sugar content, is to shift the proportion of corn syrup to sucrose in a gelled confection formula, so that the gelled confection would contain less sucrose. This option has limited usefulness towards reducing gelled confection cariogenicity because corn syrup also contains various sugars. Also, there may be a necessary balance in the amount of doctoring agent to bulking sweetener agent in order to have a gelled confection that has a consumer acceptable texture, flavor delivery, and stability to cold flow and stickiness formation. Traditional corn syrup and sucrose gelled confections have a ratio of corn syrup to sucrose of 55:45 wt. % solids. More corn syrup will reduce sucrose crystallization due to interference with gelling agent strands. Furthermore, more corn syrup may also make a softer textured, less elastic gelled confection with more tendency to cold flow and develop surface stickiness because of water absorbed by the corn syrup.
Sorbitol, maltitol, and isomalt are polyols that have been used in an attempt to make healthier gelled confections that are less cariogenic than traditional gelled confections made with corn syrup and sucrose at a 55:45 wt. % solids. As these bulk sweetener agents are hygroscopic and are quick to crystallize from a concentrated solution state, a doctoring agent needs to be combined with them to make commercially acceptable textured gelled confections that are at least as stable to cold flow and stickiness formation as gelled confections made with corn syrup and sucrose at a 55:45 wt. % solids. A common doctoring agent is hydrogenated starch hydrolysate (HSH), which is a sugar-free syrup containing polyols of various sizes, mostly sorbitol and/or maltitol. A hydrogenated starch hydrolysate with 50 wt. % or higher maltitol is called maltitol syrup. As with corn syrup combined with sucrose, HSH can interfere with sorbitol, maltitol, and isomalt crystallization and absorb free water in the gelled confection. These polyol bulking sweetener agents and doctoring agents are non-cariogenic and are less caloric than corn syrup combined with sucrose, but they may cause gastrointestinal disturbance (e.g., laxation).
A disadvantage of many polyols is the possibility of causing gastrointestinal disturbances (such as “laxation”) upon consumption. Typically, a material is considered not to cause gastrointestinal disturbance (e.g., non-laxative), if such material is either substantially absorbed before entering the large intestine or passes though the large intestine substantially unchanged, in the quantities present in the product consumed. The amount of gastrointestinal disturbance or laxation distress experienced by a consumer of a gelled confection typically depends on the sensitivity of the consumer, the specific polyol used in the gelled confection, and the amount of gelled confection consumed.
Another disadvantage of using sorbitol, maltitol, and isomalt ingredients in gelled confections is that these polyols are not considered natural in many countries, while sugar may be considered a natural ingredient.
Therefore there is a need for a gelled confection, using doctoring agents and bulking sweetener agents, that gives acceptable texture, stability, clarity, and flavor delivery, while being less cariogenic than traditional corn syrup and sucrose gelled confections (at a 55:45 wt. % solids) but at the same time not causing gastrointestinal disturbances. Consumers do not want to sacrifice flavor delivery and texture for less cariogenicity. Manufactures cannot afford to make and sell confections with a shorter shelf life than that of current traditional corn syrup and sucrose gelled confections.